U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday, May 12, 2025, that his administration achieved in approximately 50 days of intense strikes against the Houthi group what others failed to accomplish in a decade: a ceasefire and a halt to attacks on Red Sea shipping.

Speaking at a press conference, President Trump stated that the United States "created a situation" with the Houthis in Yemen, leading them to cease fire and pledge not to target ships or Americans.

"This is a heavy barrage that lasted for approximately 50 days, and as you know, they have been in war forever, but over the last 10 years, they have been very difficult for other countries", Trump said.

"Nobody was able to do what we did, but they stopped, and we take their word for it, their surrogates and them directly. We don't want to do this anymore. We were satisfied with that."

Following approximately eight weeks of strikes, Trump unexpectedly announced on May 6 that the Houthis had surrendered and that the U.S. would cease its attacks. "We received very good news last night. The Houthis announced they no longer want to fight, or at least they told us they don't want to fight anymore," he said.

"We will stop the bombing, and they have surrendered. Most importantly, we will take their word, and they say they will no longer blow up ships, which is the goal we wanted from what we were doing," Trump added.

Subsequent to Trump's statements, the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced an agreement for a ceasefire between the U.S. and the Houthi group. According to the ministry, this agreement ensures "neither party will target the other in the future, including ships in the Red Sea," and "guarantees freedom of navigation and the flow of international commercial shipping."

Since March 15, the U.S. Air Force had conducted over 800 airstrikes targeting Houthi positions, weapons depots, headquarters, and operations rooms in six governorates under Houthi control. These strikes were in response to the group's attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.